Coast Guard takes possession of new icebreaker named after pioneer Molly Kool

LEVIS, Que. — The first of three new Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers refitted at Quebec’s Davie Shipyard will be named after a female maritime pioneer.

The Coast Guard took possession today of CGCS Captain Molly Kool at a ceremony at the shipyard across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City. Federal officials also announced another $90 million in work for Davie.

The ship, one of three bought from Norway in August, is the first new icebreaker floated by the Coast Guard in 25 years.

Myrtle “Molly” Kool was the first woman in North America to become a licensed ship captain. She was born into a family of mariners in Alma, N.B. in 1916 and earned a reputation as a fearless mariner transporting cargo on the Bay of Fundy.

The government cited the cost for the three icebreakers as $610 million in August when it announced its plan to buy them and have them refitted at the Davie Shipyard.

Budget documents later revealed that with tariffs, brokerage fees, engineering work and other costs, the total cost had risen to $827 million.

The Canadian Press